Monday, March 20, 2017

March 20,2017, 11:09:12AM,EDT

Even with intense winter storms, the United States felt the sixth warmest winter in the 123 years on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The average winter temperature across the country was 35.9 F, which is 3.7 above average.
Across
the South, Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Northeast, 16 states experienced
record warmth. Louisiana and Texas had their warmest winter on record
with temperatures 6.8 and 5.7, respectively, above average.
Warm,
springlike air began confusing flora such as the famous cherry blossom
trees in Washington, D.C. A mild late-February had cherry blossoms on
the verge of blooming around mid-March.
The initial predicted
bloom date of March 14 would have been the earliest on record. The peak
blooming date has since been pushed back multiple times. Late March or
early April is usually the peak blooming period.

Cherry blossoms on the national mall. (Photo/National Park Service)

March’s bitter cold killed almost all blossoms that had reached the penultimate bloom stage, according to the National Park Service. The blossoms in earlier stages of blooming, about half, survived the cold and will bloom during late March.
Cherry
blossoms in D.C. weren’t the only plants that were fooled by early high
temperatures. In California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, wildflowers bloomed early.
The early bloom was also due to the abundant rainfall that California
received this winter. From October to February, the park got 5.65 inches
of rain, an inch above normal.
Though Alaska experienced its coldest December through February since 2012, the winter average was 2.1 above average.
Not
only was it a warm winter, but a wet one as well. The U.S. recorded the
eighth wettest winter on record. The average precipitation total for
the winter was 8.22 inches, 1.43 inches above average.
A blizzard
slammed the Northeast in mid-March, with snowfall measuring 42 inches in
some areas. During that storm, Burlington, Vermont, received its second
highest snowfall total in recorded history for the city. Binghamton,
New York, broke a 24-hour snowfall record with 31 inches of snow. The
storm caused major disruptions in the Northeast with thousands of
flights canceled and dangerous road conditions.RELATED:10 unique spring traditions from around the world4 dangerous weather threats to watch out for during springWhat led to California's drought-busting rain this winter?
The increased precipitation was
especially noticeable in the West as it brought relief to areas gripped
by drought for several years. Nevada and Wyoming each had their wettest
winter on record, while California experienced its second wettest
winter. As of March 14, only 1.06 percent of California is experiencing severe drought conditions, the third harshest drought level.
There
are no areas of California that are currently experiencing extreme or
exceptional drought. More than 76 percent of the state is currently
experiencing no drought, while at this time one year ago, only 0.43
percent of the state was drought-free.
Western ski resorts reaped
the benefits of more winter precipitation. Mammoth Mountain ski resort
in Mammoth Lakes, California, got 247 inches of snow in January. With
over 20 feet of snow, January 2017 broke the record for most snow at the
resort in a single month.

(Photo/Mammoth Mountain Resort)

While celebrating drought relief and
impressive ski conditions, much of the West was also affected by
widespread flooding and mudslides.
Increased precipitation was
not seen in all parts of the U.S. this winter. For only the third time
since 1885, Chicago had no measurable snowfall during the month of
February.
The Hawaiian Islands were also drier than average in February, causing drought conditions to expand on the Big Island.